How Science Fiction Ruined

Smart Glasses

2 Part Series

When you picture a pair of smart glasses, chances are you’re envisioning something slick. Perhaps, a stylish pair of aviators that with either a discreet tap or voice command, will immediately pull up an array of information based on whatever you’re looking at. In any case, you probably imagine someone like James Bond or Tony Stark wearing them.

That’s because science fiction has played a huge role in how we, the average consumer, think this technology should work. But the truth is smart glasses aren’t some futuristic gadget that has yet to come to fruition. They’re already here—and they’ve been around for quite some time.

So if smart glasses are already a thing, why doesn’t everyone already own a pair? Sure, design and cost and factor in, but the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. To find out what’s taking so long, we talked to a bunch of designers, engineers, historians, sci-fi authors, and futurists about smart glasses—where that tech’s been, how it was developed, and what the future actually looks like.

THE SUPRISING ORIGINS OF

ABSURD GAMING HARDWARE

For 25 years, manufacturers have been designing very specific hardware for gamers. But in the last few years, we've started to see a shift as gaming—and gaming design—comes to the mainstream. But how did we get the original gaming aesthetic to begin with? And what's the future of gaming going to look like?

The Quest to Build

the Impossible Laptop

In the realm of 2-in-1s, it should be as powerful as a laptop, as portable as a tablet, and something that switches back and forth seamlessly. This laptop seems impossible to make, but companies are making way to achieve this difficult task.

Full story here.

Video Chat's Impressive History Makes It Harder to Hate

When you think about it, video chat is a marvel. Yes, I said it: a goddamn marvel. That is, when it works.

If you Google, “Why does video chat suck,” or, “I don’t like video chat,” you’ll find a whole bunch of reasons why video chat is not a marvel. Buffering issues? Video chat sucks. Audio syncing off? Man, video chat sucks. Camera not working? Welp, that’s because video chat, you guessed it, sucks. Not gonna lie, I’ve said all of those things (and more), too.

I also searched for the opposite: “Why is video chat great?,” and, “I like video chat.” All that turned up were endless listicles of the best video-conferencing apps and reasons as to why video chat, in fact, sucks.

But video chat deserves better than that, folks.

Full story here.

Skyward Sword HD Revisits The Stumble That Led To Breath Of The Wild

Visual essay on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch

Almost a decade after its original Wii debut, Nintendo’s released The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Switch. And let’s be frank: Skyward Sword wasn’t the best-received Zelda title ever. Even as it charmed most media outlets, many fans bemoaned its linearity and questionable controls. Frankly, it wasn’t many people’s favorite. Nintendo took the hint, and totally revamped nearly everything for 2017’s Breath of the Wild.

But in a way, that makes Skyward Sword HD more interesting than ever.

Full story here.

How to Make Cannabutter to Celebrate 4/20 At Home

Monday, April 20, was supposed to be the most epic 4/20 of our lifetime: the once-in-a-century date on which 4/20 can refer to either the day of the month or the year. But the spread of Covid-19, which has grown to more than 2.1 million cases and 140,000 deaths, 4/20/20 will be a more subdued day than I anticipated.

The 4/20/20 get-together I envisioned, where clouds of cannabis smoke float gently across Hippy Hill in the Bay Area—where I live—is no longer possible. San Francisco Mayor London Breed even sent out a warning on Twitter to whomever was planning to venture out during the shelter-in-place order: If you’re caught celebrating outdoors with others, you will be arrested.

That means this holy day for all cannasseurs will have to spent in the comfort of your home—and there are definitely worse things. When life give you lemons, make some lemonade—or in this case, cannabis-infused butter (aka cannabutter) to bake some delicious canna-treats.

Read the full story here.

Life In Paradise

One Year After the Camp Fire

In just a few short days in November 2018, the Camp Fire—the most destructive wildfire in California’s history—destroyed large portions of the town of Paradise and its surrounding communities.

Vincent Tremblay—Producer, Editor

Complete in Box Series |

Kotaku

Remember when video games weren't just a download? Let's go back to the good ol' days. Host Chris Kohler dives into video game artifacts and tells us how these games shaped our gameplay experience.

View the whole series here.

Will PUBG Succeed

as an Esport?

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds took the gaming world by storm. But is that enough for this upstart game to take over the Esports scene?